Flash Drives: You get what you pay for.

USB Flash Drives are a great way to conveniently store, transport and transfer data. For some smart companies, they are a great promotional marketing choice. However, if you go looking for the absolute cheapest price on promotional flash drives … all you may find is trouble. Remember, you get what you pay for. Do you really want your name on a piece of junk? Here's what you need to know.

The memory chips that are the heart and soul of a flash drive are divided into 4 different grades: A, B, C and D. The one to avoid at all costs is Grade D.

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Grade A:

Tier 1. These are premium chips with the manufacturer's name and serial number imprinted on the chip itself. These chips are produced by manufacturers such as Samsung and Hynix. They are the most expensive, but also the most reliable offering a lifetime warranty. Our supplier only uses these types of chips.

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Grade B:

Tier 1 OEM flash chips. These are made by the same legitimate chip manufacturers but do not carry the manufacturer's brand name on them. These chips are as reliable as Grade A, but mat not carry the same warranty. A and B are both fine to use.

Here is where the quality issues and problems begin. While these are some of the least expensive flash drives, that low price comes with a very high failure rate.

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Grade C:

These are called recycled or reclaimed flash chips (not to be confused with the recycled plastic housings). These chips are considered waste from the "wafer" that the original manufacturer does not want and considers to be garbage. These have a 30% - 40% failure rate. They are sold by the pound.

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Grade D:

Suppliers of drives containing these chips will imprint an original manufacturer's name on Grade C chips. These guys think they are real smart. It may read Samsung or Hynix, etc. but they are junk.